AMES, Iowa — No. 15 Iowa State sounded plenty hyped for its rematch against West Virginia, but make no mistake: This game meant more to the Mountaineers than it did to the revenge-minded home team.

Fred Hoiberg’s squad had an NCAA bid locked up, while Bob Huggins’ crew needed a string of victories to get back on the bubble. The Cyclones never trailed by less than four points in the second half and pulled away late for an 83-66 victory.

Relive the in-game updates and analysis from throughout the evening.

IOWA STATE 83, WEST VIRGINIA 66 (Final)
Though West Virginia shot only 38 percent, my supposition is Bob Huggins will be most disappointed by another spotty defensive effort. Three straight opponents have exceeded the 80-point mark against the Mountaineers, who remain the weakest defensive unit in the conference. … Staten led WVU with 19 points, five boards and four assists, while Harris scored 15, but they combined to shoot just 12-of-33. Dibo added 14 points and seven rebounds.

IOWA STATE 79, WEST VIRGINIA 65 (2:42 second half)
Niang has 24 points, Kane 17 and the heretofore unguarded Naz Long has 15 as the Cyclones are in complete command. But save some kudos for freshman point guard Monte Morris, who has 11 assists, seven rebounds and zero turnovers. … Iowa State is on pace to become the third straight opponent to shoot better than 50 percent against WVU.

IOWA STATE 74, WEST VIRGINIA 63 (4:44 second half)
Remember when the Cyclones seemed to be in trouble after Ejim’s picked up his fourth foul with 17:16 left? Well, Iowa State led by 11 then, and now, some 13 minutes later, they still lead by 11—and Ejim hasn’t returned. Hoiberg’s role players are really picking up the slack. … Kevin Noreen fouled near the six-minute mark for West Virginia. He left with zero points and three rebounds.

IOWA STATE 59, WEST VIRGINIA 49 (11:54 second half)
Just when Harris’ putback brought West Virginia back to within 53-49, Long and Niang bury consecutive 3s and—zip—it’s a 10-point bulge again. The next stoppage was due to bring a media timeout, but Huggins wasn’t going to wait and took a 30-second timeout. (Long, who was held scoreless in five of ISU’s last eight games, has 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.)

IOWA STATE 48, WEST VIRGINIA 42 (15:44 second half)
The Cyclones scored five unanswered points to open the second half, but that’s old news now. Of much greater import was Dibo backing down Ejim into the lane, who was whistled for his third foul after Remi’s miss. Ejim then voiced his displeasure and was hit with a technical—and foul No. 4 with more than 17 minutes left. That’s a double-dumb moment for an Academic All-American.

IOWA STATE 39, WEST VIRGINIA 33 (halftime)
Staten (12 points) and Harris (seven points) didn’t leave the court in the opening 20 minutes, and they might need to play every bit of the second half also. Harris benefited from being fouled on a late 3-pointer by Melvin Ejim (his second foul). … Don’t overlook the importance of Dibo’s six first-half rebounds. He has reached that mark only three times previously this season. Overall rebounds are equal at 25 each. … Niang has 15 points, one off his per-game average, and DeAndre Kane has seven points (albeit on 3-of-10 shooting). Five Cyclones have two fouls at the break, including Kane and Ejim, who has only four points on 2-of-5 shooting. (Ejim leads the Big 12 at 18.9 points per game.) Four WVU players have picked up two fouls—Adrian, Dibo, Noreen and Williams.

IOWA STATE 34, WEST VIRGINIA 24 (3:54 first half)
The Mountaineers strung together a 10-2 run to take themselves off blowout alert, but there was a huge lapse after Niang clanged two free throws only to rebound his miss and put it back. … Devin Williams has eight points and four rebounds in 10 minutes, production like WVU hasn’t seen from him in a while. … Juwan Staten has eight points, but Eron Harris has taken only three shots so far. He’ll need to shake his defender and become more involved.

IOWA STATE 28, WEST VIRGINIA 14 (7:35 first half)
The Cyclones are on an 11-0 spurt that is part of a larger 24-5 run. In the middle of all that, Gary Browne went up for a log rebound near the foul line, appeared to be undercut by Iowa State’s Long and fell to the court, where he was whistled for traveling. Huggins wasn’t his most animated but he said something that didn’t sit well with longtime official Mike Stuart, resulting in a technical. The Mountaineers have one basket in the past five minutes.

IOWA STATE 17, WEST VIRGINIA 14 (10:50 first half)
With Niang and Naz Long hitting wide-open 3s, the Cyclones went on a 13-2 run, prompting Huggins to take a 30-second timeout. Out of the break, Nate Adrian found himself left open at the top of the key and hit a 3 to stop the run, momentarily.

WEST VIRGINIA 6, IOWA STATE 2 (15:34 first half)
The Cyclones have started 1-of-7 from the floor and Fred Hoiberg went half-Boeheim after a ticky-tack foul call against Niang as Dibo backed him down. No technicals yet, but The Mayor was pushing the bounds there. The crowd seems a bit oversensitive as well, no doubt remembering how the first meeting turned chippy at the end.

PREGAME NOTES
Fred Hoiberg gets sentimental about Melvin Ejim, one of the first recruits he signed upon taking the Iowa State job four years ago. So how has Ejim transformed himself from a so-called “glue guy” to a Big 12 player of the year candidate? “The biggest improvement he’s made is with his perimeter skills—not only with his shooting but with his playmaking ability and his ball-handling,” Hoiberg said. “He has really become a go-to guy for us, where last year he really just played off guys.”

PREGAME NOTES
Bob Huggins called Cyclones forward Georges Niang the most skilled big man in the conference—not the best mind you, but the most skilled. “He’s got what they call an old-man’s game,” Huggins said, meaning it as a compliment. “It’s like the kind of game you see in a 35-and-over league.”

PREGAME NOTES
West Virginia will be without guard Terry Henderson for the second straight game, the effects of a lingering illness. That means West Virginia’s starting five includes Remi Dibo and Nathan Adrian, perhaps the most defensively-challenged lineup Huggins has EVER put on the floor.

Allan Taylor

Allan Taylor joined MetroNews in August 2012, following 18 years of newspaper, magazine and multimedia work as an SEC columnist, sports editor, assistant sports editor, managing editor, news reporter and media consultant.

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Comments

pinball wizzard

sorry to say, i think we are in serious jeopardy of not only not making the ncaa but unless we can gather up two more wins somehow, we won't make the nit... so that leaves us right where we were last yr.

February 27, 2014 at 6:38 pm |

GoEers

we now have 10 moral victories for the season.. let's hold on to that,, it means almost as much as actually beating the other team'
and btw, huggie is doing such a good job, he needs a raise... hear the ollie,,, your lifetime contract man>>>>LOL.. and while you're at it, give holgie a raise for the great job he's doing too.

February 27, 2014 at 3:29 pm |

GoEers

someone keeps using my username and that's just not polite. From this point further, i will tell my dad what your are saying against him, and he is going to ignore any observations or advise
I personally don't like daddy huggins but i have to say it, and his players wonder where he's coming from when he gets on tv and goes on those rants about how badly they listen and perform,,, bobby , i bet you hit every open shot you had, that's why you were all american and played 15 yrs in the pros

February 27, 2014 at 3:26 pm |

mad hatter

i don't know about you guys, but considering how huggie tells these guys what to do and they refuse to do it, and they are young, and pressure of the big 12 is high, and we travel so much. plus i see absolutely nothing wrong with the coaching,,,, the guys just won't come into the practice facility so it's gathering dust,,, well,, our coaching is great, but who the heck recruited all the guys,.

February 26, 2014 at 10:57 pm |

GoEers

Please quit talking about the coaces in hurtful tones...They are doing the best they can...the players are just not responding.

The Big 12 is harder than the Big east and nobody understands that...I could just cry.

February 27, 2014 at 6:36 am |

pinball wizzard

we seem to have a continuing problem,, going back to last yr, and before that,,

the players aren't paying any attention to bobby's coaching, or bobby isn't telling them the right things to do.
either way, the ceo, bobby, needs to make changes,,,,
is it his coaching staff,,,, himself,,,,, the players,,,,,the recruiting,,,,,
sooner or later, ole ollie luck is going to figure out something has to be done with his million dollar baby...wonder how many millions it's gonna cost the donors

February 27, 2014 at 3:24 pm |

Low Rider

WVU now effectively on the NIT bubble after tonight's stellar performance. At 15-13 the NCAA dream is over. If we finish 16-15 and go 1-1 in the Big 12 Tourney we "may" get an NIT invite at 17-16…but that is not a given.

WVU has the worst scoring and field goal % defense in the Big 12. Huggins used to pride himself on strong defense…now we have inside players that do not understand the concept.

February 26, 2014 at 10:45 pm |

mad hatter

$3,650,000 ago, fix it bob said he'd fix it.. So what's the hurry, the man has other things on his mind right now, so what's the rush.

So , now that it's almost fixed, we can look to the ncaa tourney, and possibly a 5,6, or 7 seed.
I see not problems winning out in the big 12, after tonight's performance, we just have to go thru the mechanics of doing it.

I look for Luck to extend his lifetime contract, and i hope it's a huge increase over the measley $10,000 a day.

So , on to our next game, and another moral victory.
I feel confident we are on the right track, and really , i don';t think we have to worry too much about Henderson not playing.

February 26, 2014 at 10:43 pm |

GoEers

I couldn't agree more...The Moral victories are important to this young club who needs Seniour Leadership. It would have been nice if DeAndre Kane the former Marshall player would have transferd to WVU instead of Iowa.

Marshall recruited a great one when they recruited that kid,

February 27, 2014 at 6:25 am |

mad hatter

for whatever reason, we do seem to be making progress,, right now ,we are two victories ahead of last yr's schedule.. wouldn't it be nice to upset kansas on the last regular season game.

February 27, 2014 at 8:18 pm |

Bobby

huggins had a problem with something at games end?

February 26, 2014 at 10:29 pm |

Bobby

with or without Henderson they lose this game. officials are terrible, next year cant get here soon enough

February 26, 2014 at 10:27 pm |

mad hatter

no doubt about it, the refs ate us alive once again, this is the tenth game the refs have robbed us,,, chin up mate

February 26, 2014 at 10:47 pm |

not ready for prime time

once again, wvu proves they are not and will not at any time in the foreseeable future be ready to compete on a national level; the "luck" mistake to moving to the big 12 will rear its ugly head for many years to come

February 26, 2014 at 10:25 pm |

mad hatter

so exactly what would you have done,,, stay with the aac and bring in 4 mill per yr vs a possible 30 mill per yr in two yrs.. ,,makes alot of sense to have stayed in the aac, and you know, every conf. was knocking down our door to invite us to their conf.

February 26, 2014 at 10:49 pm |

Ezee

WVU's defense has more holes in it than swiss cheese. Thank goodness the season will be over soon. Maybe the team will learn how to play defense during the summer months and will be a contender instead of a pretender next season.

February 26, 2014 at 10:25 pm |

GoEers

Former Marshall player DeAndre Kane looked outstanding. The guy is a player.

This was a great moral victory for the Mountaineers.

This is a great day to be a Mountaineer...no matter where you live!

February 26, 2014 at 10:24 pm |

mad hatter

this is the 10th moral victory of this season in the big 12, , couldn't ask for much more.

February 26, 2014 at 10:49 pm |

Bobby

Noreen is completely useless

February 26, 2014 at 10:18 pm |

Aaron

Added to my bucket list is a trip to Ames for a WVU/ISU GAME. It was certainly good to see a full arena at a Big 12 venue. That looked like an awesome atmosphere for a college basketball game.

Hats off to ISU, they protected their court, which they do as well as anyone in the country. On a night when Ejim was again held on check by WVU, Kane was outstanding as was Diang and Hogue.

It's clear that WV misses Henderson. If he's out 4 weeks, he's effectively done fir the year. His absence allows teams to focus on shutting down Harris. With no other options, Staten is effectively forced to take shots he's not comfortable taking.

February 26, 2014 at 10:16 pm |

mad hatter

aaron, you're absolutely brillant, just brillant, you are a shinning star of the universe,, we just can't keep up with you.

February 26, 2014 at 11:01 pm |

Aaron

All true, all true but I don't look down of judge you Larry. I understand. I, along with Mountaineer nation wish nothing but the best for you and pray that you overcome your demons. Keep fighting brave child. There's not only light at the top of the stairs but at the end of the tunnel as well. May the good lord keep and bless you.

February 27, 2014 at 9:17 am |

mad hatter

i hate to tell you and burst your bubble, columbo, but i ain't larry,,, sorry,,, i may be many things to many people but it ain't larry.

February 27, 2014 at 3:31 pm |

mad hatter

were you there,,, i didn't see you,,, i would have came up and said hello if i knew i could have found you,,, do you concur

February 26, 2014 at 10:50 pm |

GoEers

Aaron,

Where is Keaton? I sure miss his insights and comments don't you?

February 26, 2014 at 10:36 pm |

William

WHAT DID Huggins SAY TO OTHER COACH AFTER GAME?

February 26, 2014 at 10:04 pm |

Aaron

I read lips. He said "we have these extremely troubled posters back home who suffer tremendously from emotional problems, who have an unhealthy obsession with me and my dress who hate WVU with a passion. They will be happy tonight."

Or something along those lines.

February 26, 2014 at 10:19 pm |

GoEers

I hear ya Aaron...What is wrong with Huggs wearing a smock sweatshirt?

What is their problem?

February 26, 2014 at 10:39 pm |

mad hatter

goeers, you seem like a good enough fellow,, don't know what you have against me, but please bury the hatchet and let's talk wvu sports

February 27, 2014 at 8:15 pm |

Aaron

It's actually a pretty nice Nike pull over. I've got one that came as a gift. They run in the neighborhood of a hundred bucks or so, depending on where you get it.

February 26, 2014 at 11:03 pm |

GoEers

Aaron...that comment was from Larry Jeffords...this is the real GoEers...he and mad hatter have hijacked my screenname as they are mad because I have called them out for who they really are and what they really are which is no good jealous marshall trolls....if they continue doing things like this, I can assure you and assure them that I would be absolutely relentless any time they post on this site as well as call them out on other sites whether they post or not...they really do not know what they are getting themselves into...they will find out soon enough

hop

February 27, 2014 at 1:43 am |

William

This is great!
I'M LOVIN' IT
I'M LOVIN' IT
AND YES,
I'M LOVIN' IT IN A BIG WAY.